Oscar predictions 2023: Win your pool with these picks

Oscar predictions 2023: Win your pool with these picks

The 95th Annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC Sunday night at 7 p.m. central, and several races remain wide open.

Best picture seems like a foregone conclusion by now, but you can always expect at least one or two big upsets when they open the envelopes. Which film will win the big prize, best picture? “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Elvis,” “The Banshees of Inisherin” or “Top Gun: Maverick?”

We’ll help you fill out your ballot and maybe win at your Oscar party with these predictions. If not, just tell us how wrong we were on Monday.

ANIMATED SHORT

Will win: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

LIVE ACTION SHORT

Will win: An Irish Goodbye.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Will win: The Elephant Whisperers.

SOUND

Will win: Top Gun: Maverick. Action movies often dominate this category, and Tom Cruise’s brilliant sequel full of fighter jet sequences offered a masterclass in technical filmmaking.

Might win: Elvis. Music biopics with show-stopping numbers also do well here.

MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

Will win: The Whale. This race could foreshadow the fate of the best actor category. If “The Whale” wins here, Brendan Fraser will gain momentum. His transformation was a driving narrative behind its success.

Might win: Elvis. See above.

COSTUME DESIGN

Will win: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ruth E. Carter won for the first film and stepped her game up for Ryan Coogler’s sequel.

Might win: Elvis. The King’s flashy attire and other period clothing cast voters back in time.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Will win: All Quiet on the Western Front. Recreating World War 1 on screen requires heavy lifting, and this adaptation immersed viewers in hell on Earth.

Might win: Elvis. They nailed the glitz and glam via Las Vegas and other stages.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Will win: Avatar: The Way of Water. Nothing else stands a chance.

Might win: Top Gun: Maverick. The fighter jet scenes were filmed as practically as possible, with amazing effects work hidden throughout.

ORIGINAL SCORE

Will win: All Quiet on the Western Front.

Might win: The Fabelmans. Why not celebrate the great John Williams’ final collaboration with Steven Spielberg?

ORIGINAL SONG

Will win: “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR.” Some thought S. S. Rajamouli’s fantasy/adventure deserved a shot at best picture. Will it settle for song?

Might win: “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

FILM EDITING

Will win: Everything Everywhere All at Once. How does one make sense of the multiverse? Alabama native Paul Rogers took on the impossible task beautifully.

Might win: Top Gun: Maverick. The flight scenes alone were told with A-plus cutting.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Will win: All Quiet on the Western Front.

Might win: Elvis. Baz Luhrmann’s flashy staging and photography could take care of business.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Will win: All Quiet on the Western Front. With nine nominations, the film has a lot of support, which should guarantee at least one win here.

Might win: Argentina, 1985. Does Golden Globe winner have a shot?

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Will win: Navalny.

Might win: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.

ANIMATED FEATURE

Will win: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

Might win: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Will win: Women Talking. Sarah Polley wins her first Oscar.

Might win: All Quiet on the Western Front.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Will win: Everything Everywhere All at Once. If this happens, expect a near-sweep for the Daniels’ sci-fi saga.

Might win: The Banshees of Inisherin. If Martin McDonagh wins, we could see the Academy spread the wealth across the board (and then watch out for actor and supportin actress).

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Will win: Kerry Condon. The only big upset of the night. Not so big, after she won at BAFTA, but prepare for the gasps.

Might win: Angela Bassett or Jamie Lee Curtis. Either of these Hollywood legends could win it.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Will win: Ke Huy Quan. The lock of the night. His journey from “Indiana Jones” to “Everything Everywhere” is the stuff Hollywood dreams are made of.

Might win: Barry Keoghan. Despite his win at BAFTA, this would be a massive upset.

ACTRESS

Will win: Michelle Yeoh. Toughest call of the night. We expect big things for the nominee leader, including Yeoh making history in this category and putting the cherry on top of an illustrious career.

Might win: Cate Blanchett. Perhaps the smarter bet. Will the Academy give her a third Oscar, or will they choose to honor a first-time nominee? Many consider this the performance of the year and one of the best of the young decade.

ACTOR

Will win: Austin Butler. The Academy loves music in movies. See Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line,” Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls,” Rami Malek in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” If you sing (or even lip-sync) you stand a chance at immortality.

Might win: Brendan Fraser. “The Whale” polarized critics, but all agreed Fraser delivered a career-best performance. And his Screen Actors Guild win showed he has support of his peers, many of whom also voted in this race. Not a big surprise if he wins.

DIRECTOR

Will win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. After winning the Directors Guild of America award, they became the favorites to land this prestigious prize. The rare directing duo to win, after Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (”West Side Story”) and Joel and Ethan Coen (”No Country for Old Men”).

Might win: Steven Spielberg. An underdog? For his deeply personal, semi-autobiographical domestic drama, Spielberg opened up in ways he hadn’t throughout his prolific career. He may win his third directing Oscar, but the Daniels have the upper hand.

PICTURE

Will win: Everything Everywhere All at Once. It leads all films with 11 nominations, a position that doesn’t guarantee the win but includes the likes of “Gladiator,” “Titanic,” “Forrest Gump” and “Gone with the Wind.” Some felt it was too weird for the stuffy Academy, but this previously unlikely outcome was all but determined weeks ago.

Might win: Top Gun: Maverick. Outside of its massive box office take, it doesn’t have enough support, but the preferential ballot leaves some uncertainty for hit-or-miss films and hope for beloved blockbusters.